Cell phone use in a vehicle accident ends in multimillion dollar settlement
A large paper company has agreed to pay $5.2 million to settle claims in a lawsuit which alleged that a company employee talking on a cell phone while driving caused a major accident which left one person receiving a partial amputation to her arm and substantial medical bills.
Law.com 2/13/8
Currently, in Maryland, legislators are pushing for legislation that would ban drivers of vehicles from speaking on a handheld phone or texting while driving. There are several bills being submitted for approval. If a driver of a vehicle is typing a text, email or dialing a number, that driver is clearly not keeping their eyes on the road and is negligent in the operation of their vehicle. When the driver of a vehicle is not paying attention to the road and the other vehicles around them, major accidents can occur. Driver inattention while behind the wheel can substantially increase the likelihood of a vehicle accident causing injury to another.
Hopefully this will encourage people to drive more carefully. Cell phone usage is causing a lot of accidents, Alcohol is the main cause of injury/death now but how long will it take until cell phone users gain the lead? Washington DC already has a 'hands free' law that requires cell phone users to use a hands free device when driving. Other places are trying to ban text messaging while driving. I agree with these changes, we need to make our roads safer.